The country’s future is secure in the hands of its youth, Minister for Tourism Kadakampally Surendran has said.
He was speaking after inaugurating the centenary celebrations of SMV Government Model Higher Secondary School here on Tuesday.
Touching upon the recent student protests across the country, the Minister said the Constitution and the values espoused by the reformation movement were being eroded. The people had taken to the streets to protect the Constitution, and the role of students in this struggle was important, Mr. Surendran said.
Bold strides
The education sector in the State was making important strides towards development, he said. With infrastructure development such as smart classrooms, the enrolment in public schools too had gone up for the first time since the 1991-92 academic year. Lakhs of students were taking admission in public schools.
In the Thiruvananthapuram Assembly segment, three schools were being transformed to international status using Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) funds, the Minister said.
The history of SMV school was a record of the State’s education sector, the Minister said. The school had spearheaded developments in the social and cultural sectors of the State. The school centenary only marked 100 years of being named Sree Moola Vilasam High School in 1919. It had a long history prior to that, being set up by Swathi Thirunal, the then head of the royal family of erstwhile Travancore as the first English school in south India in 1834. However, only the children of important and affluent people could study here.
Not only SMV school, other schools too did not allow children of the poor to study there. SMV school, at one time, was representative of the caste discrimination that existed in society. Change came only after the winds of reformation blew through the State.
The school’s achievements were the result of cooperation among students, teachers, and students’ families.
Prompt moves
Concerted effort were needed to implement various programmes and transform the school to one of international standards, Mr. Surendran said.
The school’s oldest former headmaster, oldest former teacher, oldest former student, oldest former PTA president were honoured. V.S. Sivakumar, MLA, presided over the function. Mayor K. Sreekumar, C. Divakaran, MLA and former student, Director of General Education K. Jeevan Babu, and school Principal V. Vasanthakumari were present.
